[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 48
Even with a knife held to his second-in-command's neck, Don Juan didn't flinch.
He leisurely took out a new cigar, put it in his mouth, and lit it.
After exhaling a thick puff of smoke, Don Juan greeted Zeke.
“Nice to meet you, Zeke Murray.”
He took a deep breath and said,
“It's my birthday today. You've brought a weapon instead of a gift.”
Although his voice was calm, it carried a sharp edge.
Zeke pressed the knife closer to El Mencho's neck and said,
“I brought a gift right here.”
Don Juan's eyebrows twitched.
“Are you saying my beloved brother, Joaquin, is a traitor?”
Zeke grabbed El Mencho's hair and shook him.
“Hey, El Mencho. Why don't you tell him yourself?”
El Mencho, held by the neck by Zeke, couldn't move or speak properly due to the pressure.
He felt like the blade would slit his throat if he moved even slightly.
‘Damn it. What the hell is going on?’
El Mencho kept signaling to the hitmen across from him.
‘Use magic, use Aura, use assassination techniques, anything to kill this damn intruder.’
But the armed hitmen couldn't move recklessly.
Zeke had completely subdued El Mencho, positioned himself behind him to minimize the attack range, and created blind spots to allow for counter attacks from any direction.
If they attacked from a distance, he would surely use El Mencho as a shield.
‘That bastard, he's definitely a pro. Who the hell sent him?’
Even in this tense standoff, Zeke remained calm and conveyed his message without a tremor in his voice.
“If he won't speak for himself, I'll show you the evidence.”
At Zeke's nod, Kay placed the prepared documents in front of Don Juan.
Don Juan slowly reached out and looked through the documents Kay had presented.
His eyebrows twitched.
Then he slowly opened his mouth.
“The Favela Cartel guys are South Sea pirates?”
The bosses of the McCain Cartel stirred at his words.
No one in the South liked the South Sea pirates.
This was because they had been fighting against the pirates and protecting their families since their ancestors.
In Don Juan's case, he had lost his family to pirates, so he held a particularly deep grudge against them.
The fact that the McCain Cartel, led by him, had pursued the Favela Cartel to the end and completely destroyed them stemmed from this background.
El Mencho's expression changed when the topic of the Favela Cartel being pirates came up.
This was because he already knew the true identity of the Favela Cartel.
His complexion subtly changed every time Don Juan turned a page of the documents, and the expressions of the other bosses in the room also shifted from moment to moment.
After reviewing all the documents, Don Juan raised his head.
“Zeke Murray. I've seen all the documents you've provided. But if you thought this would be enough to make me doubt my brother, Joaquin, you're gravely mistaken.”
Zeke nodded.
“Of course you would think so. The boss is astute and suspicious.”
Don Juan felt a strange sensation at Zeke's words.
It was as if the other person knew him very well.
Just then, Zeke whispered something to El Mencho.
El Mencho's face turned pale after hearing Zeke's words.
“H-how do you know about that...!”
Zeke from the past life knew the secrets of all the cartel bosses.
El Mencho had a young wife and daughter who were unknown to the public, and he loved them more than his own life.
Zeke whispered that if he didn't tell the truth, he couldn't guarantee the safety of his wife and daughter.
El Mencho trembled and opened his mouth.
“P-please. Not that...”
“Then why don't you reveal the truth? Then I swear to God that I won't touch them.”
In the South, an oath to God was an absolute covenant.
If one broke an oath made to God, they wouldn't be saved even after death, so even ruthless cartel members kept that oath.
El Mencho trembled and raised his head.
He looked at Don Juan and said,
“B-Boss. What Zeke Murray said is true.”
Don Juan's expression changed.
“Joaquin. Are you saying you betrayed me?”
“Th-that is... At first, I didn't know it was the Favela Cartel and made a deal with them...”
Don Juan jumped up from his seat, slammed his hand on the desk, and shouted,
“You dare! Betray me!”
El Mencho trembled and said,
“I-I'm sorry, Boss! B-but I never intended to betray you! Gah...!”
Before El Mencho could finish his sentence, Don Juan grabbed an axe hanging on the wall and threw it at him.
The axe accurately split El Mencho's head.
The second-in-command of the McCain Cartel died just like that.
Don Juan approached the dead El Mencho and pulled out the axe embedded in his head.
Blood and brain matter splattered around.
Seemingly unconcerned, Don Juan returned to his seat and once again scanned the documents Kay had handed him, his hands stained with blood.
Then he glared at the Syndicate executives.
"You were going to abandon the McCain Cartel and switch to the Favela Cartel. That's why you burned all the Soma in the warehouse."
At Don Juan's words, one of the Syndicate executives trembled and immediately fell to the floor, kneeling.
"B-Boss! Th-that never happened! It's true! Please believe me!"
The executive turned to Kay and said,
"That cunning mage bitch is playing tricks! That never happened, Boss!"
But it was too late.
Don Juan's axe split the executive's head open.
With a thud, the executive's head was also split open, and blood splattered everywhere. Kay was drenched in the executive's blood.
She turned pale at the sight of such cruelty, far beyond her imagination, and froze in place.
Don Juan, looking like a human butcher, picked up his axe and pointed it at the other bosses.
"Who else betrayed me? Come out. Come out now!"
"Calm down, Boss."
Just then, Zeke approached Don Juan from behind.
Enraged, Don Juan swung the axe at Zeke.
Zeke easily dodged Don Juan's axe.
Don Juan, at best a Purple Knight, couldn't even touch a hair on Zeke's head.
Don Juan, his eyes bloodshot at the sight of blood, breathed heavily, then went to his seat, took out some Soma powder, snorted it, and gulped down strong alcohol.
Wiping his mouth, he said to Zeke,
"Zeke Murray! Who the hell are you? Are you an angel sent by God to help me? Or a devil who climbed up from hell to destroy this Don Juan!"
Zeke shook his head and said,
"I am neither an angel nor a devil. I am a business partner who wants to propose a new deal to the boss."
"Partner? What kind of deal do you want to make with me, Zeke Murray?"
"The Syndicate executives have betrayed you, boss. But the McCain Cartel needs a distribution network to move its goods. Kay and I will take over the role of the Syndicate."
Don Juan burst into laughter at those words.
"Are you asking me to take care of that trash for a new deal with you?"
"I'm saying you need a justification."
Don Juan laughed again at those words.
"Justification. You're right."
Don Juan gestured to the hitmen behind him.
The hitmen grabbed the awkwardly standing Syndicate executives and dragged them out of the conference room.
Don Juan sat back down.
An underling brought him a towel, and after wiping the blood off his face and hands, he opened his mouth.
"So, let's say I entrust you with the distribution network. What's in it for me?"
"I will help you take care of the Favela Cartel."
Don Juan's expression changed at those words.
"Are you saying you'll wipe those damn pirates off the face of the earth?"
"I will erase them completely in the name of the boss and the McCain Cartel."
Don Juan suddenly jumped to his feet and burst into laughter.
As Don Juan laughed, the other cartel bosses watching him also started laughing.
Soon, Don Juan stopped laughing and looked at Zeke with a serious expression.
"Amazing, Zeke Murray. Truly amazing. Alright. Then how do you plan to take care of the Favela Cartel?"
Zeke spoke without hesitation.
"If you give me an elite unit, Boss, I will destroy one of the Favela Cartel's main camps and come back. We'll engrave the fear of the McCain Cartel into them."
Don Juan's eyes sharpened.
It was as if he was trying to understand Zeke completely by dissecting him with his gaze.
After a moment, Don Juan approached Zeke and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Zeke Murray. I, Don Juan, am moved by your courage and bravery today."
He kissed Zeke's forehead.
"There's no need for me to doubt you any further. You've already given me many gifts."
"To celebrate our partnership, I will bring you a new gift, Boss."
Don Juan nodded.
"Very good."
He slowly walked towards Kay.
He took her hand, kissed it again, and said,
"While you are displaying your bravery against the Favela Cartel, I will treat this lady as my honored guest."
His words were gentle, but it meant that he would be holding Kay hostage.
Unlike Kay, who was flustered, Zeke nodded calmly.
"Understood, Boss."
Don Juan smiled and raised his glass.
"To McCain! And to the brave warrior, Zeke Murray! Salud!"
"Salud!"
Along with Don Juan, the other cartel bosses also emptied their glasses.
The air was thick with the smell of blood, sinister plots, and damp fear.
Zeke finally felt that he had returned to the South.
He looked at Don Juan, who was laughing heartily.
'Laugh while you can. Soon, you'll be trapped in the trap you set for yourself and struggle to get free.'
***
Whoosh!
Shadows moved swiftly through the dense jungle.
The McCain Cartel's combat unit was currently deep within the Favela Cartel's territory in the jungle.
Manuel, the unit leader, couldn't help but be surprised as he watched Zeke running ahead of him.
'He's clearly from the Central Continent, but how is he so proficient in Southern martial arts?'
The Southern Continent didn't have a systematic Aura training method like the Central Continent.
Therefore, physical and weapon techniques were relatively more developed.
However, Zeke was moving much faster and more stealthily than even their killers.
Because of this, Manuel and the other unit members, who had openly ignored and bullied Zeke at first, gradually had no choice but to follow his commands as they went deeper into the Favela Cartel's territory.
Just then, Zeke signaled to stop.
The unit members all hid behind trees and carefully observed the area ahead.
Soon, a group of figures appeared from beyond the trees.
Manuel held his breath.
'Damn it. Of all things, they're Werewolves.'
Among the beastmen, Werewolves were known for their high combat abilities.
They were bipedal, so they could use human weapons, and in close combat, they attacked relentlessly with their sharp teeth and claws, making them difficult opponents.
Manuel glanced at Zeke beside him.
Despite being the unit leader, he realized that he was waiting for Zeke's orders.
But Zeke didn't give any further orders. Instead, he took out a dagger from his pocket and slowly stood up.
Before Manuel could stop him, Zeke swiftly climbed up a tree.
Whoosh!
Using mana to generate wind, Zeke leaped from tree to tree as if flying.
Zeke felt a strange excitement at the prospect of his first proper battle in a long time.
Completely concealing his presence from atop the tree, Zeke observed the Werewolves below.
He instinctively identified the strongest one among them.
Whoosh!
With a gust of wind, Zeke dropped straight down from the tree.
Swish!
Imbuing his dagger with a wind blade, Zeke sliced the Werewolf leader in half.
Crack!
As the leader fell, split in two, the other Werewolf warriors were startled and looked around.
But it was already too late.
Whirl!
Zeke, clinging to the ground and moving like a snake, instantly cut down the remaining Werewolves.
Gah!
As soon as he reached the center of the group, he targeted their necks and hearts, swiftly taking out eight Werewolf warriors.
'N-no way.'
Manuel and the other unit members were also stunned by Zeke's movements.
Zeke stood up casually, dusted himself off, and gestured to the unit members.
Manuel and the unit members moved much more quickly than before.
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]